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| The final chance to be heard
on King’s Cross |
We have to call the King’s Cross property
developers to account, claims community leader Satnam Gill
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Satnam Gill at the King’s Cross gasholders
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MY first memory of King’s Cross, arriving from Bombay aged
eight on a bitterly cold night in February 1963 was of a freezing
but snowless station eerily empty and quiet – quite unlike
either Bombay’s enormous and crowded Victoria Terminus or the
snow-locked Bradford we got to at 5am.
My next visit was for a 1971 Maggie Thatcher ‘Milk Snatcher’
demonstration, when I stayed overnight in the Stanley Buildings
and took a closer look at the area, still with its fruit and veg
wholesalers and working gas holders.
I have now lived or worked in Camden for almost 30 years throughout
which King’s Cross has been desperate for redevelopment.
Various redevelopment schemes promising hundreds of homes, thousands
of jobs and lots of financial goodies, have fallen by the wayside
as a result of community opposition, collapses in the office market,
indecision about the Euro terminal or because they were just plain
daft.
Today with the Euro terminal almost open at King’s Cross, the
current proposal from Argent looks like a real possibility and a
massive consultation is underway led by the King’s Cross Development
Forum with more than 200 organisations and residents involved.
After three years as chair of the forum, I now realise the development
process is really complex with all sorts of agencies having their
hands in the honey pot including the mayor of London, Transport
for London, Network Rail, Camden and Islington councils and the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Camden and Islington have done
the best they can to make the process easy for us to follow.
After more than a year of waiting, we have details of Argent’s
revisions. There is some positive response to our demands but still
considerable uncertainty. Argent no doubt will meet the planning
requirements of the two councils and Ken Livingstone but will they
meet the community’s needs?
Argent may have to make money to cover costs and satisfy shareholders.
Our priorities are quite different. There will be changes to King’s
Cross, but for real improvement the scheme must be integrated with
the community and satisfy its needs. We want homes, jobs, kids using
sports facilities, parks and a safe, attractive and environmentally-sound
development.
We welcome the positive responses Argent have made to our demands.
These are:
• Around 1,700 flats and a promise with many ‘lifetime
housing’ units – we would like more;
• Some large family homes with up to 10 per cent four beds
and up to 20 per cent three beds;
• 650 places for
students;
• 40 per cent affordable housing – we would like at least
50 per cent affordable housing with 35 per cent social housing;
• A meeting space for community groups, two health centres,
a children’s centre with a nursery and a two-form entry primary
school;
• A 25m swimming pool, public sports hall with courts for basketball,
volleyball and five-a-side, a number of parks with an increase in
green spaces and a range of schemes to encourage bicycle use.
• There may be libraries, a nursing home, higher education
provided including for the University of Arts, a multi-faith centre,
arts spaces and enhanced facilities for boat users.
We are told there is to be a good employment and training package
to give people a chance to get some of the 30,000 jobs on the site
but we need great detail to see how this will work. There is no
adult education provided despite the need of many in our communities
and people who will be working on the site.
We have serious concerns about the heights of the buildings and
their density, the lack of detail about design although we have
been promised a three-dimensional model and the sustainability of
the buildings. We are also determined to seek greater certainty
as to when the community services will be delivered.
This development is important for Camden and Islington. If you want
to be involved, come to our meetings, from 7pm to 9pm, today, Thursday
at the German Gym, Pancras Road, and hear what Argent have to say.
At the gym on Monday, October 17, we will look at environmental
sustainability, employment and training. On Thursday, October 20,
at The Working Men’s College an open session will discuss what
we want in Section 106. At the gym on Monday, October 24, we will
discuss the Islington Triangle. The consultation closes on November
11.
This is the only opportunity to reshape this vital piece of London.
Make sure your views are included by writing to the King’s
Cross teams at Camden or Islington councils and send a copy to me
at The Working Men’s College, 44 Crowndale Road, NW1 1TR.
• Satnam Gill is the Principle of the Working Mens’
College. |
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